Income and Work

January 13, 2025 by Sean O'Leary
West Virginia Ranks 44th in Annual Kids Count Data Book on Child Well-being

West Virginia News - The annual Kids Count Data Book was recently published, highlighting where each state ranks in terms of child well-being. Read the full article. As a whole, West Virginia placed 44th in the nation after looking at data in categories including education, health, economy and family and community. The study helps officials…

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January 9, 2025 by Kelly Allen
Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Could Cost West Virginia Hundreds of Millions of Federal Health Care Dollars; More Than 40,000 Residents Could Lose Health Coverage

Overview Read the full fact sheet. Federal policymakers are reportedly considering enacting work reporting requirements for Medicaid in the new Congress. Similar state-level policy led to disastrous consequences in Arkansas in 2018-19 until a federal judge blocked the program. Enacting an Arkansas-style work reporting requirement at the federal level would result in West Virginia’s health…

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December 20, 2024 by Seth DiStefano
Bill That Would Expand SNAP Work Requirements in WV Will Be Back Next Session, Sponsor Says

West Virginia Watch, Huntington Herald-Dispatch, Times West Virginian, West Virginia Daily News - A bill that would expand the work requirements for West Virginians receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will get another chance at becoming law during the upcoming legislative session, its sponsor said.  Read the full article. Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh,…

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December 13, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Women Caregivers in West Virginia Are Important Drivers for the Local Economy

NewsBreak - Women’s contributions to West Virginia’s economy have long been underappreciated. Over the past two decades, women’s labor force participation in the state has declined, but the amount of unpaid labor they perform has increased, particularly in caregiving roles. This shift highlights systemic challenges that hinder economic security for women and, by extension, their…

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December 10, 2024 by Seth DiStefano
New Bureaucratic Red Tape Puts Unemployment Insurance at Risk for Rural Workers

Beginning July 1, 2024, many displaced workers in West Virginia became subject to more onerous bureaucratic red tape as a condition of retaining their earned unemployment benefits. As part of the much-discussed and hastily drafted SB 841, which dramatically overhauled the state’s unemployment insurance system in the waning days of the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers…

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November 8, 2024 by WVCBP
West Virginians Have a Honey-do List for Their Newly Elected Officials

Mountain State Spotlight - Dear West Virginia elected officials, the voters of our state selected you to represent them in the Legislature, in Congress and in the governor’s office.  Read the full article. The campaign is over.  Now it’s time to govern.  Over the last year, hundreds of West Virginians have told Mountain State Spotlight the…

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October 21, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
Report: WV Women Play Major Economic Role as Unpaid Caregivers

Public News Service, MSN - Women's labor force participation rate in West Virginia has fallen over the past two decades but more are performing unpaid work, mostly as caregivers, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Read the full article. Working women continue to earn less than men, at just under $20 an…

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October 8, 2024 by WVCBP
New Report Highlights Women’s Paid and Unpaid Labor in West Virginia

For Immediate Release: October 8, 2024 Contact: Sean O'Leary, (304)-400-8899 Charleston, WV – Each year the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy releases our annual State of Working West Virginia report, which examines the Mountain State’s economy through the lens of its workers—the people who power our state and economy. While each year’s report has a slightly different focus, one consistent…

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October 8, 2024 by Sean O'Leary
State of Working West Virginia 2024: Women’s Paid and Unpaid Labor

Introduction This report is the 17th edition of the State of Working West Virginia, an annual series that examines West Virginia’s economy through the lens of its workers—the people who power our state and our economy. Previous editions have examined data on employment, income, racial disparities, job quality, and economic performance. While each year’s report…

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September 26, 2024 by WVCBP
Lawmakers Must Focus on Economy

Wheeling Intelligencer, The Intermountain - We are months away from the next regular session of the West Virginia Legislature, but the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Campaign for Jobs Digest includes some ideas about what lawmakers should prioritize. (Hint: It’s not incredibly archaic socio-cultural agendas.) Read the full article. Economic issues are still a…

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